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Draft Day 2: Twins use 11 of 15 picks on arms

Draft Day 2: Twins use 11 of 15 picks on arms

MLB.com recaps the Twins' selections in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft

By Jordan Garretson
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MLB.com |

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota's agenda for the 2012 First-Year Player Draft quickly became clear on Tuesday: Draft pitching. And then draft some more pitching.

The Twins selected 15 players on Tuesday, 11 of whom are pitchers. Four are left-handers while seven are righties.

The pitching-focused draft doesn't come as a surprise considering the organization's Major League rotation struggled to a 6.20 collective ERA entering Tuesday's game. The Twins also have run into a string of bad luck with pitchers drafted high in recent years. Their 2009 first-round pick Kyle Gibson underwent Tommy John surgery last year and 2010 first-rounder Alex Wimmers suffered a strained ulnar collateral ligament.

Mike Radcliff, vice president of player personnel, said while acquiring pitching was a goal, the sheer number of pitchers the Twins took was simply a matter of how their draft board stacked up.

"It did turn out that we took pitchers," Radcliff said. "It was certainly a goal. But I think it was more because that's how our board stacked up. Those were the guys we liked. Those were the guys we were convicted in. So those were the guys we took."

Of the four position players taken, the Twins chose two outfielders, a second baseman, and a catcher. Notable picks include third-round selection Adam Walker, praised by some scouts as the best power bat in the entire 2012 class, and ninth-round pick LJ Mazzilli, the son of former Major League infielder and manager Lee Mazzilli.

Twins' Draft summary: Day 2

 Second round, No. 63 overall: LHP Mason Melotakis, Northwestern State Melotakis served primarily as a reliever for the Demons, striking out 70 in 62 innings this past season.

 Second round, No. 72: RHP J.T. Chargois, Rice Chargois started all 63 of Rice's games in 2011 at first base before switching to pitching full time in 2012, where he recorded a 2.15 ERA in 37 2/3 innings.

 Third round, No. 97: RF Adam Walker II, Jacksonville The son of former Minnesota Vikings running back Adam Walker, this powerful outfielder hit 41 home runs in three college seasons.

 Fourth round, No. 130: RHP Zack Jones, San Jose State Originally selected by Kansas City in the 24th round of the 2009 Draft, Jones struck out a team-high 62 batters and recorded seven saves in 2012.

 Fifth round, No. 160: RHP Tyler Duffey, Rice The second Rice pitcher selected by the Twins on Tuesday, Duffey struck out 68 in 51 1/3 innings this season as a junior.

 Sixth round, No. 190: LHP Andre Martinez, Archbishop McCarthy H.S. (Fla.) Martinez was the winning pitcher in the Class 6A State Championship on May 18, helping the Mavericks win their third consecutive state title.

 Eighth round, No. 250: RHP Christian Powell, College of Charleston The Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year went 9-4 with a 2.69 ERA during the 2012 season.

 Ninth round, No. 280: 2B LJ Mazzilli, Connecticut Mazzilli, a First-Team All-Big East selection in 2012, is the son of former big league player and manager Lee Mazzilli.

 10th round, No. 310: RHP D.J. Baxendale, Arkansas Though he is not considered a power arm, Baxendale owns good command of three pitches and progress quickly through the Twins system.

 11th round, No. 340: LHP Taylor Rogers, Kentucky Rogers was originally taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 37th round of the 2009 Draft.

 12th round, No. 370: RHP Alexander Muren, Cal State Northridge Muren pitched two complete games in his 14 starts for the Matadors in 2012.

 13th round, No. 400: RHP Erich Knab, Carolina Forest H.S. (S.C.) Knab, whose fastball touches 94 mph, will have to decide if he will start his pro career now or follow through on his commitment to play at Spartanburg Methodist.

 14th round, No. 430: CF Jake Proctor, Cincinnati Proctor recorded a .256 average with 23 doubles and 61 RBIs in his three-year college career.